Yebisu Culture Festival

There were a flurry of three day weekends in the last weeks of this summer and the Ebisu Garden Place held a festival during each of them.  The last one, which had live music and interactive art, was my favorite.  Here were some of the highlights I enjoyed most.

Polka Dot Dresses

The live music ranged from children’s choirs to a gospel ensemble to opera.  My favorite were the flamenco dancers and musicians.  I’d never seen so many red and white polka dot dresses in one place.  Having one of the guitarists resemble Hurley from Lost was a bonus.

Blinking Leaves

The centerpiece art installation was something even children could interact with.  Participants gathered up the ‘leaves’ made of paper with a printed eye, and placed them in slots along a towering tube.  These leaves were then blown out the top of the tube and they rained down like fall leaves.  It was beautiful and kids loved it.

The Collaborative Whale

At the beginning of the festival children were invited to paint on a massive roll of paper with an outline of a whale.  The outline probably matched the real silhouette of a small whale.  There were all sorts of colorful nautical images and the collaborative effort emanated a lot of joy.

The Bean Beard Project

The most bizarre art was a whimsical photography project.  The photographer had prepared a table full of beards made of red beans.  Volunteers pick out a beard, wear it, and pose for a traveling exhibit.  It’s pretty hilarious.

Found Art Esperanto

I also enjoyed the Esperanto that was written in pink all over the Garden Place.  Maps of where the words were scrawled were provided to the public with a list of words for each letter of the alphabet.  But I found it more fun to find the words myself.  Moka was far better at finding them, pointing and grunting at places I’d never think to look.

So I end with the letter Z.